Dictating machine



Jan. 10, 1939. D. NORTON I f DICT'ATING MACHINE Filed Oct. 5, 1936 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 RECORD REPRODUCE INVENTOR L elcma D. JVoron QM'N, am vQM ATTORN EYS Jan. 10, 1939. L. D, NORTON DICTATING MACHINE Filed Oct 5, 1936 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 RECORD REPRODUCE mvENToR Leland [Vbrforp ATTORNEYS Ja'n.10,1939. LD R N 2,143,819

' DICTATING MACHINE Filed Oct. 5, 1936 s Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR Leland Z7. Norotz ATTO RN EYS Patented Jan. 10, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DICTATIN G MACHINE Application October 5, 1936, Serial No. 103,960

8 Claims.

The present invention relates to an improvement in dictating machines. One object thereof has been to provide apparatus which presents more flexible adaptability to dictating voices of different volumes or having different tonal or other properties or qualities. A further object has been to provide a dictating machine of the universal type, i. e., for recording and reproducing, which combine satisfactory or accepted general features of construction of known types of acoustical machines with novel features affording certain advantages inherent in electrical over purely mechanical recording and transmitting.

Having in view the foregoing and other objects and advantages, the present invention may be considered, in some respects, an improvement over the type of dictating machine of which one form is illustrated and described in Patent No.

1,989,783, to which reference is made for a clearer understanding of the purpose and scope of the improvements here considered.

One embodiment of my invention is illustrated in the drawings appended hereto and in which- Figure l. is an end elevation with parts shown in cross section;

Figure 2, a detail illustrating one form of change over switch suitable for the purposes of the present invention;

Figure 3, a transverse section on the line 3-3 of Figure 2;

Figure l, a diagrammatic view showing the functional relationship of parts of the apparatus illustrated in Figure l; i 35 Figure 5, an enlarged detail in longitudinal section of the electric recorder-reproducer unit and mounting therefor;

Figure 6, a section on the line 6-6 of Figure 5; and

Figure '7, a wiring diagram.

The apparatus shown in the drawings includes conventional mechanisms (a) for holding and controlling rotation of the record cylinder upon which the dictation is to be recorded; (b) for automatically moving the electric recorderreproducer unit and stylus carrier longitudinally thereof during recording and reproducing; and (c) for manually moving the recorder-reproducer unit and stylus carrier transversely thereof, i. e., to and from their recording, neutral, and reproducing positions, respectively.

The drawings also illustrate more particularly mechanisms according to my invention for elec- 55 trical recording and reproducing and for shifting readily from recording to reproducing and vice versa or to neutral.

Referring to Figure 1, the record cylinder l is removably mounted in a well known manner on a mandrel 2 driven by shaft 3 having a clutch connection with a driving pulley 4 which is actuated by a belt, not shown, from the motor 5, Figure 7. A switch 6 closes the motor circuit when the mouth piece 1 is removed from its supporting hook 8. A tension spring 9, Figure 1, tends to yieldingly retain switch 6 in circuit closing position. For this purpose, said spring has one end attached to the frame of the machine and its other end to the link Ill which operatively connects hook 8 with switch 6 through arm ll.

With motor 5 in operation, shaft 3 and consequently mandrel 2 are operated at will by a clutch interposed between the motor and said shaft. As shown in Figure 4, one suitable form of clutch for this purpose includes a yoke l2 supported on a compound rocking lever pivotally mounted on a shaft l3. A spring i4 attached to an arm 15 of said lever tends to deflect yoke [2 in a direction to disengage a clutch member 3 carried by shaft 3 from the toothed hub iii of pulley 4.

Yoke I2 is rocked at will by the operator in clutch: engaging direction against pull of spring M by a bell crank lever ll pivotally mounted to engage an arm ill of the compound lever which carries yoke l2, and is actuated by the Bowden wire 19 from button 20 mounted conveniently to the mouth piece 1, it being understood that in this embodiment, the wire l9 extends through flexible tube 2|. Thus, by pressing down on button 25, the operator causes mandrel shaft 3 to engage with the pulley 4 to rotate the record cylinder holding mandrel 2. When pressure on button 20 is released, the clutch is disengaged and mandrel 2 stops rotating.

In adapting a dictating machine having the known features as above described for electrical recording and reproducing according to the invention forming the subject matter of this application, I employ, in one embodiment, a recorder reproducer unit mounting having certain features of construction like those of the sound box mounting described and shown in Patent No. 1,606,744 and illustrated in a form suitable for present purposes in Figures 1, 5 and 6.

As shown in Figure 1, a recorder-reproducer unit casing 22 and a stylus arm 23 are mounted in conventional manner on carriage 24 for combined transverse and up and down or toward and away movement in relation to the periphery of record cylinder 1 operatively positioned on mandrel 2. Carriage 24 travels longitudinally of said cylinder upon an upper carriage rod 25 and a lower carriage rod 25. A manually operated control lever 21 mounted on carriage 2 2 is actuated by the operator to move the casing 22 to and from its recording, neutral and reproducing positions, respectively; to engage carriage 2:3 with the feed screw 23 by means of a nut 25 when the casing is in its recording and reproducing positions; and to disengage said carriage from said feed screw while the casing is in neutral position, all in accordance with well known practice involving similar operation of a sound box and the styli connected therewith.

Referring to Figures 1 and 5, a casing 43, mounted on carriage 24, supports a sliding sleeve as provided with an upper longitudinal slot 45 engaged by a guide pin 45. A lower longitudinal slot t? accommodates an adjustable guide plate 38 secured in position on the casing 63 by a screw it. An inner sleeve 55 is pivotally supported on the sliding sleeve M by screw studs 5! bearing in holes 52. A hollow conduit 53 is pivotally mounted on sleeve 5Q by opposed pins 54 engaging bearings at opposite sides of said conduit near its inner end. The recorder reproducer casing 22 is supported at the outer end of said conduit 53. A rib or fin 55 extends downwardly from conduit 53 with its free edge riding on the upper edge of guide plate- G8 to impart up and down rocking movement to said conduit 53 during the longitudinal or to and fro movement thereof which accompanies the adjustment of control lever 21 into and out of its several positions.

As shown in Figure l, sleeve 50 has a pintle 56 extending across the outer end of slot 45 and in position to be engaged by a terminal hook 517 on a link 53 pivoted at 59 to move with lever 27.

It will be noted that the stylus arm 23 is pivoted at to a bracket carried on the underside of conduit 53 and that the recording stylus 6i and the reproducing stylus 52 are mounted in conventional relation on stylus arm 23.

In apparatus according to my invention, I employ along with the above described conventional or known devices or equivalent operative structure an electric recorder-reproducer or translation unit which, in the illustrated embodiment, is supported in casing 22, Figures 5 and 6, and cooperates with the stylus arm 23 in transmitting vibrations thereto and receiving vibrations therefrom. This unit, in a preferred form known as a bimorph element, comprises a pair of piezo crystal plates 53 and suitable electrodes including a plate 64 of metal foil, for example, connected to a conductor wire (it and interposed between said crystal plates. An outer metal plate 55 connected to conductor wires 6'5 is mounted against the outer surface of each of said crystal plates 53. A terminal plate 58 is conveniently located at the inner end of sleeve 56 and provided with binding posts 69.

As shown in Figures 5 and 6, the crystal plates 53 are retained between the opposed walls of the casing 22 by resilient supports, as rubber spacers h engaging said plates at three corners. A pin "H is secured to the free corner of the crystal plates and to an intermediate portion of the stylus arm 23 after passing through an opening E2 in the casing 22, said opening being sealed against passage of moisture by a membrane 13 extending across and covering said opening and closely embracing the shank of pin H, being preferably adhesively secured thereto.- The opening in the opposite wall of 'casing 22 and through which the conductor wires are led to the interior thereof, may be substantially sealed to exclude moisture by a thin sheet i of suitable moisture resistant material lying against the inner face of said wall and with its edges held down under the annular gasket 15 of rubber or other suitable resilient material. A passage for the conductors 66 and 61 to the interior of the casing may be provided in any suitable way, here shown as through the sealing sheet 7%, care being taken to minimize leakage of air into the casing.

As shown in Figure 5, the casing 22 is in effect a shell made up of cooperating shallow cup shaped members one of which is secured to the outer end of hollow conduit 53. The other or outer cup shaped member serves as a cover and when held in position, as by bolts 15, Figure 6, retains the gasket 55 and the crystal plate assembly in operative position inside the casing 22.

For the more effective operation of the translation unit both in recording and reproducing, I employ an amplifier 32, Figure 7, interposed in circuit between said unit and a transmitting and receiving microphone 33, Figure 4, carried in the mouth piece l. A reversing or change over switch 34 conveniently mounted, as on the frame of the machine, is arranged in said microphone circuit and so connected with the lever 2'! that the amplifier will be cut into the circuit in proper relation automaticaly when the operator moves said control lever 21, and hence the casing'22, to and from recording and reproducing positions respectively. As shown in Figure 2, said switch 34 includes pivoted contact arms 35 with the free ends of each actuated by a rod 35 to move between suitable terminals connected to the circuit and biased in one position by a tension spring 95.

To operate switch 34 automatically by movement of control lever 21, the rod 36 is connected through a link 3? to one arm 38 of a bell crank lever, Figure 4, the other arm of which has a lug 39 positioned in the path of a bail M3 pivotally swung on rod 25. The lower end of a lever 45, pivoted at 32 when moving in one direction engages and moves bail 4B inwardly against lug 39 which swings said arm 38 against resistance of said tension spring 98. Lever M is connected to control lever 2? in such a manner that, when the latter is moved to position the recorder reproducer unit and the styli for recording, bail 40 is thrust inwardly and actuates the arm 38, link 37 and rod 35 to move contact arms 35 clockwise and into engagement with one set of terminals. In the neutral position of control lever 21, and consequently of the styli, the contact arms 35 are disengaged from the switch terminals.

In operation the electrical impulses generated in the microphone 33 when recording, and in the reproducer unit 22 when transcribing, are amplified by a suitable amplifier 32, as shown in Figure '7, before being transmitted to the recorder unit or to the speaker unit, as the case may be. The amplifier 32 may be of any type capable of supplying suflicient voltage and power output to operate the recorder and the speaker units under all conditions, the same amplifier being used for both recording and reproducing. This doubleduty action is accomplished by use of the above described reversing switch 34 to which the amplifier s2 is connected by the input lead 17 and the output lead 18. The switch in turn is -connected to the recorder reproducer 22 and the microphone-speaker 33 by the leads 93 and 94 respectively. With this arrangement, either the microphone or the reproducer may be connected at will to the input terminals of the amplifier 32, and the recorder or speaker to the output terminals thereof respectively, depending upon whether the instrument is to be used as a recorder or as a reproducer.

It is to be noted that the amplifier 32, the connecting leads El and T8, the switch 34 and the connecting leads 93 and 94 are all shielded (as indicated by the dotted lines) and suitably grounded through the condenser 9| to prevent audio-frequency pick-up between the input and output leads of the amplifier, thereby reducing the likelihood of oscillation or instability in the operation of the instrument. For a similar reason, switch as is preferably so designed that its various conducting components have a minimum area and a maximum separation in order to maintain the inter-circuit capacity therebetween at a minimum.

The instrument is provided with a switch 3| conveniently mounted on the front of the case, Figure l, which is normally closed during all times when the apparatus may be expected to be used. The closing of this switch 3! initially energizes the heating elements is of the amplifier tubes through the resistor and closes the circuit of the signal light mounted on the front of the instrument case, Figure l, which then indicates that the switch ti is closed and that the instrument is connected to the power supply circuit 82.

Switch fi, operated from the hook 8 as previously described, includes a stem 8! of insulating material and a metal contact head 82 which, in closed position, engages resilient contacts 83 and 84. When this switch is closed by the removal of the mouth piece '5 from the hook 8, the motor circuit closed through the contacts 82 and 83. At the same time, the resistor 86 and switch 3| are shortcircuitcd through the contacts 82 and 8:3, thus permitting full current to pass tothe amplifier heater circuit, bringing it up instantaneously to its fuli operating eificiency. Simultaneously, the intensity of the signal light 39, which is connected across the heating elements '59 of the tubes, increases due to the shorting of the resistor 80, and thereby indicates that the switch it is closed and the instrument is in operating condition. With the resistor 86 in the circuit, as by closing oi switch 3%, the said heating elements 19 of the tuc-es in amplifier can be maintained in a partially heated condition at all times when the apparatus may be expected to be used. It thus becomes ready for instant use at any moment merely by shorting out this resistor. This arrangement eliminates the need for maintaining the tubes at full operating temperature and subject to full operating potential during those periods when the amplifier is not actually in use, thereby both conserving the liie of the tubes and decreasing the power consumption of the device when not in actual operation. However, in case the operator attempts to use the apparatus without having previously closed switch 3|, this switch 3! is so connected as to be short-circuited by switch 8 when the mouthpiece l is removed from the hook i, thus placing the apparatus in condition for operation after a period, necessary for heating the tube elements '59, has elapsed.

In a typical cycle of operation, switch 3! is closed to initially energize the amplifier filaments and for the purposes above described. With a record in position on mandrel 2, the operator throws lever 2'! to recording position thus simultaneously moving the recording stylus 6i into contact with the record I and moving the contact arms 35 of switch 34 against the pull of the spring 98 to connect the microphone 33 to the input of the amplifier 32 and the recorder 22 to the output thereof. The operator then removes the mouthpiece i from the hook 8, thus causing the motor 5 to start and preparing the amplifier to function. Button 20 is pressed down to engage the record-turning clutch and the operator speaks into the microphone 33 in mouthpiece l. The resulting electrical impulses are amplified in the amplifier 32 and transmitted to the recorder 22 and thence to the record i. To reproduce a portion of the recorded matter the lever Zl is thrown to the reproducing position, thus automatically actuating the change-over switch 34 whereby the recorder is connected as a reproducer and the microphone operates as a speaker when the button 21] is depressed to effect rotation of the record I.

As many embodiments might be made of the above invention, and as many changes might be made in the embodiment above described, it is to be understood that all structure hereinbefore described or shown in the accompanying drawings is to be considered as illustrative only and not in a limiting sense.

I claim:

1. In a dictating machine, the combination of means for supporting and actuating a record element, a recording stylus, a reproducing stylus, means for moving said styli alternatively into operative relation to the record element, a transmitting and receiving microphone, a piezocrystal recorder-reproducer element operatively connected to said styli, and means connected to and cooperating with said stylus moving means and with the microphone whereby in use the microphone operates as a transmitter when the recording stylus is in operative relation to the record element and, alternatively therewith, as a speaker when the reproducing stylus is in 0perative relation to said record element.

2. In a dictating machine, the combination of means for supporting and actuating a record element, a recording stylus, a reproducing stylus, means for moving said styli alternatively into operative relation to the record element, a transmitting and receiving microphone, a piezocrystal recorder-reproducer element operatively connected to said styli, a circuit including said microphone and said recorder reproducer element, and a change-over switch interposed in said circuit and operatively connected to and actuated by said stylus moving means whereby, in use, the microphone operates as a transmitter when the recording stylus is in operative relation to the record element and, alternately therewith, as a speaker when the reproducing stylus is in operative relation to said record element.

3. In a dictating machine, the combination of means for supporting and actuating a record element, a recording stylus, a reproducing stylus, means for moving said styli alternatively into operative relation to the record element, a transmitting and receiving microphone, a piezocrystal recorder-reproducer element operatively connected to said styli, a circuit including said microphone, said recorder-reproducer element and an amplifier, and a change-over switch interposed in said circuit and operatively connected to and actuated by said stylus moving means whereby, when the recording stylus is in operative relation to the record element, the microphone operates as a transmitter and the impulses so transmitted are impressed in amplified degree on the recorder-reproducer element, and alternatively therewith, when the reproducing stylus is in operative relation to said record element the microphone operates as a speaker and the impulses transmitted thereto from the reproducing stylus and recorder-reproducer element are amplified by said amplifier.

4. In a dictating machine, the combination of means for supporting a record element, means for actuating said record, a recording stylus, a reproducing stylus, means for moving said styli alternatively into operative relation to the record element, a transmitting and receiving microphone, a piezo-crystal recorder-reproducer element operatively connected to said styli, a circuit including said microphone, said recorderreproducer and an amplifier having heater elements in a separate circuit, a change-over switch interposed in said microphone circuit and operatively connected to and actuated by said stylus moving means, and switch means in said heater element circuit and cooperating with said record actuating means for producing a different heating eiiect in said elements when said record actuating means is in operation from that produced when said record actuating means is not in operation.

5. In a dictating machine, the combination of means for supporting a record element, means for actuating said record, a recording stylus, a reproducing stylus, means for moving said styli alternatively into operative relation to the record element, a transmitting and receiving microphone, a piezo-crystal recorder-reproducer element operatively connected to said styli, a circuit including said microphone, said recorder-reproducer and an amplifier having heater elements in a separate circuit, a change-over switch interposed in said microphone circuit and operatively connected to and actuated by said stylus moving means, switch means in said heater element circuit cooperating with said record actuating means for producing a different heating effect in said elements when said record actuating means is in operation, and means for indicating the condition of said heater elements.

6. In a dictating machine, the combination of means for supporting a record element, means for actuating said record, a recording stylus, a reproducing stylus, means for moving said styli alternatively into operative relation to the record element, a transmitting and receiving microphone, a piezo-crystal recorder-reproducer element operatively connected to said styli, a circuit including said microphone, said recorderreproducer and an amplifier having heater elements in a separate circuit, a change-over switch interposed in said microphone circuit and operatively connected to and actuated by said stylus moving means, and switch means connected to and cooperating with said heater element circuit and with said record actuating means whereby the current supplied to said heating elements is increased upon commencement of operation of said record actuating means.

7. In a dictating machine, the combination of means for supporting a record element, means for actuating said record, a recording stylus, a reproducing stylus, means for moving said styli alternatively into operative relation to the record element, a transmitting and receiving microphone, a piezo-crystal recorder-reproducer element operatively connected to said styli, a circuit including said microphone, said recorderreproducer and an amplifier, a change-over switch interposed in said circuit and operatively connected to and actuated by said stylus moving means, and switch means connected to and cooperating with said amplifier circuit and with said record actuating means whereby the voltage applied to said amplifier is increased during the periods when said record actuating means is in operation.

8. In a dictating machine, the combination of means for supporting and actuating a record element, a recording stylus, a reproducing stylus, means for moving said styli alternatively into operative relation to the record element, a transmitting and. receiving microphone, a piezocrystal recorder-reproducer element operatively connected to said styli, a circuit including said microphone, said recorder-reproducer element and an amplifier, and a change-over switch interposed in said circuit, said switch comprising two relatively widely spaced parallel conductive arms operatively connected to and actuated by said stylus moving means, each of said arms being pivoted at one end and having its free end adapted to move between and to contact two of three spaced contacts whereby, when the recording stylus is in operative relation to the record element, the microphone is connected through said amplifier to said recorder-reproducer element to operate as a transmitter, and alternatively therewith, when the reproducing stylus is in operative relation to said record element, the microphone is connected through said amplifier to said recorder-reproducer element to operate as a speaker.

LELAND D. NORTON. 

